Community Highlights: Meet Stephany Poe of POEE Coaching & Consulting

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephany Poe.

Hi Stephany, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
I started with public services. At one point in my life, I was a customer of public services and remembered the feeling that this was the worst customer service experience I have ever had in my life. It would take me an entire workday just to receive services. I thought to myself “There has to be a better way.” This cannot be it.” So, I decided to apply and improve their processes because I had the skill set and fresh out of college with my degrees in Organizational Leadership, Management, and Business so I definitely understood what to do. After applying and being accepted, I immediately realized why the external services were so bad: it’s because the internal customer services were worse! No one wanted to work with each other regardless of title, communication was half done or nonexistent, people were siloed, and the systems in place were so outdated and inadequate that it caused tension, drama, and stress. Because of that immediate reality, I chose not to speak my first year in service with the exception of saying good morning and a good night. Speaking with customers was never an issue, but I would not converse internally. I showed up for work, my work was accurate, and my work ethic was impeccable.

My leaders were so impressed with me they’d came to bat for me if I made a mistake at any time. After the first year, I began having conversations with various coworkers to understand what they do and why. People were so surprised that I spoke because 1: I didn’t. 2: I spoke with compassion where there was none, gave grace when others would reprimand or belittle, and constantly used pleasantries while demonstrating that through my behaviors. The power of please and thank you goes a long way! I earned the trust of my co-workers and leaders across divisions, teams, in other offices in state and out of state because of how I treated people and how reliable I was. I started influencing positive change, and leaders began noticing and wanted me to influence change on a larger scale.

In that moment, I was excited because I finally get to do what I applied to do: help improve the customer service experience and the internal operational procedures, however, that didn’t happen. Those who had the authority to make anything possible were only concerned with putting on a façade that change was happening, but in reality it wasn’t. More problems arose and people in the company were even more divided. Half of the people didn’t want the new change because they didn’t believe in it because they’d been around for years, seen many processes that come and go, no change, and no one ever listening to them. The other half partially embraced the change because they were rewarded with a pizza party for simply going along with the  façade and they could bend the rules because a blind eye would be turned. The leadership team was selling, telling, and demanding change but didn’t know the work that was being done and did not develop any relationships. Those of us who helped influence change started to lose the faith of everyone in the company because we represented that new management system that did not co-exisit well with the work culture and the it showed in-person and through data.

It was a complete mess and to make matters worse, I had a front-row seat to one of my colleagues who experienced seven family member passing while being on the same team with me. Her home life was in shambles and she struggeled to hold it together as we took daily walks. The traumatic experience did impact her performance, but she also communicated with our leaders with what was happening in her life. 1 month after she shared what happened, she immediately became a target. She became the scapegoat for the new management system failing. Anything she did or did not do, she was reprimanded for and became the focal point of blame. I watched her work 10 and 12-hour days, documenting by hour, what she did, why she did it, and how her work would impact others in a process improvement sort of way. She was tasked with doing tedious work that was not related to her job desciption at all and when she asked for a day of rest, she was told “You’re salary. You don’t have specific work hours.” I saw workplace bullying happen with her right before my eyes. She lost over 40lbs throughout this process and didn’t get a chance to go to any family funerals for fear of losing her job. And to add icing on the cake, she was a single mom. She finally went to HR for help with daily documented accounts, emails, text messages, and even a witness to what she was experiencing as a hostile work environment, bullying, and discrimination. However, HR demoted her and cut half of her annual salary just to avoid the public scandal. It was the Christmas when this happened. I remember she cried to me and questioned why this was happening to her. It took a lot for me to hold back my tears as I hugged her. During the Holiday party, and I remember watching her cry silently while everyone, especially leadership, was happy. I was completed disgusted and decided to leave my position. However, the department was disbanded shortly after, and then covid happened.

Covid-19 did not discriminate with people. It impacted young, old, all ages, ethnic background, class, status, you name it. Covid-19 also forced all organizations to do business to operate in a completely different manner. Covid-19 also forced people to put themselves first as well if you think about it. People began realizing, that if they died today, their jobs would be posted the next day they began wanting more for themselves in the work environment. They not only needed more accommodations, but they wanted more accommodations and what was talked about quietly was being spoken about publicly and I couldn’t help but think of the young woman that was a target. I looked for her at one point. When I found her, she’d completely changed. The joy she had in helping inspire change, solving prolems, and helping people was no longer there. She became a victim of the unhealthy, hostile, inefficient process, environment that we’d worked together to try and change. I was truly sad. It makes me tear up as I write this piece actually. I could only imagine the number of people who’d gone through the same experience and thought how many CEO’s/Executives/Leaders are unaware of this? Before Covid, companies had high turnover; during covid, the employee turnover was at an unrealistic amount, and now, after covid, people are still leaving.

During COVID, I was a part of a non-profit organization, coaching women on how to remove barriers to wellness in their live and was also the Director of Sponsorship. I coached women in Austrailia, U.S., Germany, Africa, and Mexico. I was a part of a podcast with this non-profit organization where my coaching could be heard all over the world in Russia, UK, Brazil, Costa Rica, Barcelona, and Canda to name a few. We were doing phenonmial work and eventually we wanted to move over into the business space and help with improving the work environment, business operations, employee trainings & procedures, leaders & staff development training as well, but we didn’t get that far. The founder of my non-profit passed away abruptly and it was during my time in the nonprofit space that I decided to open my own business POEE Coaching and Consulting LLC. I wanted to help companies improve their leaders skills, overcome obstacles that happens in the workplace, and most importantly, promote effective communication between the frontline, middle management, and leaders both virtually and in-person.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There are always challenges to face when you decide to step outside of what statistical norms are, what learned behaviors are, and what demonstrated behavior patterns we’re used to doing to get things done. When starting the road to entrepreneurship. For me, I’d say a challenge I’ve had on this journey is 1. Getting out of my own way. – Sometimes, I can get nervous to speak in a room full of people, and just before I have to make a speech, I find what I need to speak clearly, articulately, and with compassion. 2. Being Extroverted – I am naturally a introverted person and learning that it’s okay to introverted while being in extroverted spaces. I can be both, and I’m learning to become both. To me, as long as I can continue be my authentic self as I walk in both spaces the challenges become easier to overcome. I tell everyone all the time, growth happens outside the comfort zone.

As you know, we’re big fans of POEE Coaching & Consulting LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
(P)rogressive (O)pportunities (E)verywhere (E)veryday Coaching & Consulting. There is a daily opportunity to move forward in a positive and a healthy manner, especially professionally. We spend as much time at work (if not more) as we do at home. We specialize in helping organizations improve their leaders’ skillset by providing staff development workshops, overcome obstacles in the workplace through coaching & consultations, and promote effective communication between frontline workers, mid-level, and upper management both virtually and in-person through our communication workshops focusing on knowing your communication style, receiving communication, elevator speak, and power tone. We are known for promoting and applying self-care practices professionally and personally. We like to highlight the impacts the work environment has on an individual no matter the level… Even leaders go through phases of mental and emotional instability that they carry home to their families. Things like that have been ignored for far too long.

We are known for our 4 pillars: Communication, Self-Care, Process Improvement, and Emotional Intelligence. We promote self-care in all spaces, but it’s one of our core our pillars because we care about well-being of people that work for and work with POEE Coaching & Consulting. When it comes to strategizing with companies, we not only improve their workspace via operational procedures but help companies retain their employees by creating innovative strategies & collaboration. Increase employee satisfaction and most importantly improve internal communications. POEE Coaching & Consulting is different from others because we’re not only guided by our purpose but we show companies how emotional investment increases comany revenue and build it into training materials & operational procedures. We exist to shed light on the impact’s organizations have on its staff physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Not only am I walking in my purpose, but I’ve brought my purpose into the professional space in which people desperately need to know and understand their value professionally. We get so distracted by life. A friend of mines once said, life keeps life-ing, but we still have to push forward, and sometimes it’s hard to do so, and it impacts us professionally.

So, I’d like for your readers to know that from this moment on, self-acceptance is what will always be spoken about. Self-acceptance is the most challenging because we are forced to accept our role in all scenarios good, bad, or ugly. From a professional perspective, that is hard to do and that’s okay. That is why POEE Coaching & Consulting is here in exsistence. We reinforce positive behaviors of staff & leaders through developing a successful, profitable, and growing environment that will amplify employee morale both virtually and in-person. I have coaches & consultants who not only work with small to midsize, government, and non-profit organizations, but we are in the communities as well. We are not bound to only one state; we work outside of Arizona and outside the United States as we are a virtual company. I have a team of ladies who are ready, willing, and able to be dependable and adaptable with organizations and their culture to help get them restore their glory and create a new glory road that is modified to the new world post covid. Organizations that are struggling with their people’s engagement in the workplace, we offer extensive coaching to help get around that. Organizations that cannot identify root cause issues, communication, and decrease turnover, we offer extensive consultation services to solve that. If organizations just want to improve operational procedures, employee development & training at the different levels, retain & increase company revenue, POEE Coaching & Consulting is the organization you need to help you make the desired changes.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
The people in my life that deserves credit is my older sister, Tiffany Gibson. She was with me with each major milestone in my life. When I obtained my first degrees in Organizational Leadership, Business, & Management, she was there. When I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Sales & Marketing, Cum Laude, she was there. With the experience I witnessed, I remember talking to her about it and how I wanted to do more. Law school came to mind, and I remember telling her I think I want to go to law school and told me I’d be great at law school and she’d be here for me then. My younger sister, Charlotte Taylor. She looked up to me because she’d watch me achieve those same milestones and was with me during that. I also spoke to her about me going to law school and she said the same thing, I’d be great at it. Sadly, they both died within 8 months of each other and watched me graduate with my master’s degree in legal studies with an emphasis on Corporate & Healthcare Compliance from  heaven.

A teacher of mine who was the founder of the nonprofit I worked for, Ciara Wimby. She was an advocate for self-care, self-improvement holistically, and women improvement. She taught me the significance of what it means to be my sister’s keeper and how to take action steps in doing so. She helped heal through any traumas and fears personally, which in turned healed me professionally. With all of the experiences I’ve had to face, she inspired to write my first book. Now, I help heal others both personally and professionally. She was my supporter during my undergrad years and also while attending law school. She, too, however, passed away a month before I graduated from Law School. I credit her for a lot of things in my life especially as it relates to my organization.

A mentor of mine, Ken Walker who was a fireproofing consultant for an outfit on the East Coast. He taught me to always go for what I want, no matter what anyone thinks. Do the work, not to make excuses, and demonstrate discipline. He also passed away before getting the chance to see me graduate Bachelor’s or Graduate degree, but he watched my growth personally & professionally and helped me along the way, especially while being a young mother.

Another mentor, Judge Dan Collins. I met him during my time as a Federal Bar Association Member for the Phoenix Chapter. Meeting a person of his stature was one of the highlights of my life, especially considering I’d just lost 2 of the most important people in my life. He’s given me advice and provided clarity where I was unsure on certain decisions or routes. I still get nervous of speaking with him because he is what I wanted to be when I grew up. A person who inspires and a person who helps others in a major way. I think of it in a sense of where your 1st or 2nd-grade teacher asks you what you want to be when you grow up. LOL

Other supporters are all of those who enters my space and choose to share their love, positive energy, knowledge, and words of wisdom with me in hopes of my success. I can’t give them all names because it’s been so many people all over the nation who have chosen to share their blessings and abundance with me. Sometimes, having a conversation with a stranger is helpful.

Lastly, I’d say myself. I actually did the work and still do the work needed to succeed. When I am tired, sleepy, or want to remain in my humble home, I still get up and do the work, but make sure to incorporate self-care practices so that I can continue to work comfortably doing what I love to do. With the inspirations of everyone that I’ve listed here, I was able to get through my college career with 5 degrees, current author of my first book project: Perfect Progression, that will be released in 2024, and the CEO & Founder of POEE Coaching & Consulting LLC.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://poeecc.com/about
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephany_poeecc/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanypoe/